CHAPTER 53
Theo
“Let’s see it, Reg.” Late in the afternoon, I finally called an end to rehearsals and had the dancers and crew join me in the audience. Winter too. Whatever Reggie, Lex, and Wayne had been working on was a surprise since they found a quieter space to spend their day rehearsing. “Show us what you got.”
I was surprisingly calm at the thought of allowing another man to choreograph a number in Winter’s concert. But Lex had that effect on me. Knowing that I would have her in my arms after today’s sweat session ended was enough.
Winter took the seat beside me and shot me a glance. “How you holding up?”
Even though Lex and I had worked things out, I hadn’t forgiven Winter. Not even a little. “Rehearsals are going as well as expected. Some snags with timing and formations, but we seem to be working through them all right.”
“I meant”—she leaned into me, pressing her arm to mine—“with the Lex thing. We made a deal, but what if something goes down and she starts to get a little obsessive? I can’t stop thinking about it.”
Heat flared in my chest. “I think you have other things to worry about.” I nodded at the stage, where Lex was taking her position on the floor. “Your boy’s about to show us what he’s made of. You ready?”
She narrowed her eyes and leaned back in her seat. “Just start the music.”
I chuckled and gave a signal to the AV tech running the stage sound. He returned my salute as he started the bonus track.
As soon as music streamed through the speakers, I remembered why I loved working for Winter. Her tracks were all influenced by different genres, making everything I got to choreograph challenging in some way. I loved playing the tracks over and over until the stories came to life in my mind, knowing she’d give me lots of creative freedom.
Watching Lex dance to the opening phrases of the song raised the skin on my arms. With the stage lights dimmed and blue and white spotlights beaming down on her, she looked fucking radiant and 100 percent affected by where she was performing—in the best possible way.
Every lyric was being portrayed in each of Lex’s steps. I could feel the emotion as she moved across the floor—with each split leap, each glide, each contract and retract. One move flowed into the other like a perfect symphony of dance.
Even when Reggie and Wayne joined Lex onstage, she was still the focus of the performance. I could almost forget anyone else was there, supporting her, lifting her, tossing her to the floor in an epic move that left the entire crew gasping.
I turned to Winter, and my throat thickened as a tear slid down her cheek. She was quick to wipe it away, never taking her eyes off the stage.
When the song ended, everyone stood, and though only a few dozen of us were in that room, the applause was deafening. The dancers, Reggie and Lex, especially, were showered in praise. Deservingly. I had to give the guy credit.
“Nice job, man.” I extended my hand. “That was great work.”
He glanced at my hand then raised his palms to me with a shake of his head and a laugh. “Nah, dude. I’m good.” He turned so his back was to me, and I tensed all over.
Fucking dick. And there I was, proud of myself, knowing that the only reason Reggie got the opportunity in the first place was because he was challenging me. I thought I took the high road by telling him what he deserved to hear, regardless of his tendencies to be a piece of shit. After his response, I wished I could take it all back.
My blood boiled as I tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention. He swiveled around, a challenge in his eyes.
“What the fuck?”
Reggie raised his brows then rolled his eyes.
He is such a punk.
“What? I’m not going to shake your hand while you stand there and patronize me with your weak-ass compliments.”
I let out an incredulous laugh and backed up, legitimately entertained by his superiority. “Fine. No problem, Maynor. Just do your thing.”
“I will, Noska. Don’t you worry about that.”
It took everything in me to muster the strength to walk away, but I knew it wasn’t the end of the conversation. Reggie had more to say to me—more aggression he’d built up over the years while standing in my shadow. He would detonate one day. It was only a matter of time.